The Reds are close, they will be closer today, even closer in the coming days until they run a confirmation story with the ‘official’ tag with it. Christian Benteke to Liverpool has been in the pipeline for ages, it seems, and light at the end of the pipeline is nigh. The red light, of course.
What Benteke is supposed to bring into Liverpool is an unending supply of goals. But does the Belgian’s record justify expectations at a ‘big club’ like Liverpool? His statistic of 42 Premier League goals in three seasons at Villa Park will surely turn many optimists away, but that is what it is. That is what you get from a player at a club in the bottom reaches of the table.
A lot of Liverpool fans, including myself, remain sceptical about Benteke. An average of 14 goals per season is the stuff of a Giroud, or a Berahino, or even a Pelle. Liverpool are reportedly paying £32m for Benteke’s services (wages excluded) which raises eyebrows and requires a lot of justification.
Liverpool’s striker/forward count is currently seven: Daniel Sturridge, Rickie Lambert, Raheem Sterling, Mario Balotelli, Divock Origi, Danny Ings and Fabio Borini. Consensus is that only three will remain by the start of the 2015-16 season, which means adding another striker to the squad which managed only 52 goals in 38 games last season is of paramount importance. Is Benteke the man Liverpool really need?
Benteke is 24. He is an aerial monster. He is cultured in his finishing. He has adequate pace. He has Premier League experience. His wages are within the limits set by Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group (an assumption since Aston Villa certainly won’t pay much). And on a lighter note, he scores against Manchester United (scored both home and away last season).
Not all, but quite a few boxes ticked. Aston Villa under Tim Sherwood in the second half of last season mostly played deep 4–3–3 (which was actually 4–5–1), when Benteke exploded and scored 11 of his 13 league goals. He scored most of his goals last season either via set-pieces or via crossed ball situations or via counter-attacking phases of play.
The Belgian’s aerial ability means he is always a threat in situations where the ball remains off the ground in the penalty area. He is almost an expert of intelligent penalty area positioning and an excellent header of the ball. And here arises a conundrum.
Liverpool aren’t exactly great at crosses. They averaged the fourth-lowest crossing accuracy in the division last season. Unlike Villa, the Reds have needle players in their advanced midfield (Coutinho, Firmino). Going after a target man with the players currently at the club is seemingly ill-advised from Brendan Rodgers.
Liverpool left their two-pronged attack for dead last season after a spate of failed experiments at the start of the season. Luis Suarez’s departure to Barcelona had quite a significant impact in their stylistic morphs. The continued absence of Sturridge, the lack of application of Balotelli, and the simply-not-good-enough Borini and Lambert meant the Reds had to endure a season without a proper attacking third threat.
Coutinho and Sterling could only do so much. Jordan Henderson and Glen Johnson did much to make Liverpool look overly attack-minded but their limitations were vivid. The Reds required a proper presence near the opposition goal, one who could give second, third thoughts to defenders snapping at heels. Which brings the club’s Benteke interest to light.
No wonder Liverpool are after Benteke. The Reds will be rebuffed in a blink should they enquire about a Kane or an Aguero or a Costa. They shouldn’t logically do business with Everton (haven’t done since Abel Xavier in 2002), and another Southampton striker would be serious overkill. Of the remaining Premier League clubs, only Benteke at Villa has a semblance of star value attached to him, and the Villa Park club just about survived relegation last season.
Whether or not Rodgers likes Benteke is not for me to answer. But being a man who emphasises ideologies, Rodgers should not at least divert from his ethics. Benteke is a quality striker. But he likes the ball played at him. Liverpool’s pattern of play involves playing through the central areas. Their style of play requires the forwards to play with the ball around opposition defences, not to wait inside the box for the final pass. And judging by the players brought in by the club in the summer, they clearly intend to follow a similar blueprint next season.
Christian Benteke is, by no means, a bad striker. That he is one of the most coveted Premier League strikers proves the fact. But Liverpool could just about dodge a bullet by not spending an exorbitant sum for the Belgian. Last time when the Reds parted with a sum upwards of £30m for a player, we all know how it all turned out.
Andy Carroll isn’t being compared to Aston Villa’s number 20, but the treatment afforded to the now West Ham striker when Rodgers first came into Liverpool provides a pointer. Burly target men, playing for traditional English top-flight clubs, interest induced by kneejerk reactions; I can only hope Liverpool don’t fall foul of making the same mistake again.
